


Custodimus

by FawnoftheWoods



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Archangels, Body Modification, Canon Divergence - Iron Man 1, Demons, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:55:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FawnoftheWoods/pseuds/FawnoftheWoods
Summary: Tony knows several languages, but not Latin.  Apparently he really sucks at latin.  That's why instead of the soliloquy he should be transcribing, he's summoning demons.  And he finds them much more interesting than Latin.  Especially Bucky.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 48
Kudos: 196





	1. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [endrega_Turtlesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/endrega_Turtlesse/gifts).



> WARNING:There is consensual and non-consensual body modification happening in this fic. There is also some religious aspects of a harsh god. Please be mindful of yourself. Also mentions of torture as part of Iron Man 1.
> 
> Prompt: After too many mistakes when learning Latin, the devil himself sends a demon to tutor you, just so you'll stop accidentally summon them.
> 
> He did stop Accidentally" summoning him X)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony decided to study Latin to piss off his father. Turns out to be the door to a whole fun world, starting with a deliciously handsome demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some body modification so be mindful of yourself

Tony groaned as he sat up. Lowering his hands automatically, he felt something tug at his sternum. Looking down, he saw a car battery and the leads disappearing under his bandages. Frantically, he began to tear at them, praying in his soul not to see what his logical mind already knew he’d find. The leads went into him. He felt bile rise in the back of his throat.

“I wouldn’t pull on those if I were you.” 

He looked over and there was an older man.

* * *

The old man’s name was Yinsen. He’d put that thing in Tony’s body. He’d saved Tony’s life. Tony wasn’t so sure. The men who had them came for him and he suddenly understood something he’d only thought he’d understood before.

Back at MIT, Tony had taken Latin. He’d needed a language credit and this one would piss his father off the most. Besides, it was the one language he didn’t already know the basic sentences in, though he figured with his Italian and basic Spanish, he’d do okay.

Turned out Latin and its children languages were very very different. So different that Tony actually found himself required to study the damn thing. Rhodey had laughed himself hoarse over it. Then the jerk had left for the club with his Air Force buddies while Tony tried to complete the assignment: translate a famous speech into Latin. The teacher, wise to Tony’s brilliance by now, had specified that the original speech had to have 20 minutes of talking by the original speaker and could not already be in Latin.

Tony had glared at that.

So here he was writing this god forsaken speech at 11pm on a Friday night because he’d gotten caught up in welding struts for his helping hand that he was making. Rhodey had fussed a bit about all the cuts on his hand from the metal work, but otherwise left him to suffer the dead language in peace.

Tony huffed as he searched both his book and a few from the library for this one word in vain. Giving up and deciding to just Latin-ify the spanish equivalent, he growled as she slashed out the word and then thumped his head on the table. Suddenly the paper under his face rippled. Tony jerked back and stared at it in confusion. The paper innocently stayed put now that he was watching it.

Deciding that he needed more caffeine, Tony leaned over to grab the coffee pot from the hot plate. Hissing at the heat, Tony dropped it, standing abruptly. The paper, which he’d placed his hand on to stand, shuddered and then ripped its way off the desk and onto the floor.

Tony stared in confusion as a wind whipped around the room, scattering all his papers and blueprints, before disappearing, leaving a crouched man in its place.

Tony groaned and let himself fold onto the floor in despair. He’d be hours organizing those papers again. He glanced at the figure, who was looking around, drolly. Tony sighed; if Rhodey came home to this mess, he’d make Tony pick it all up anyway. He didn’t want to annoy Rhodey too much. He’d had enough trouble finding a roommate at all. How many 21-year-olds wanted a 17-year-old for a roommate?

“State your desire and I shall state the price.” The low voice rasped at him.

Tony stared at him blearly, remembering that the man was still present. Tony waved, “How about you not make a fucking mess? Good enough?” Tony groused as he started circling the room picking up the papers.

The man blinked at him in annoyed confusion, “I have no time to teach you a lesson, Mortal. State that which caused you to summon one of my power so I may state your price!”

Tony eyed him. It wasn’t that the man was that bad looking. Shoulder length soft brown hair framed a scruffy muscled jaw. Slate grey eyes regarded him from above a full mouth. The muscles under that leather ensemble helped a lot, even with one arm being smokey. 

Yet the derision the man looked at Tony with was familiar. It was as if Tony was some upstart who didn’t know his place. Tony hated that. The other MIT students looked at him that way. His father’s business partners looked at him that way. Everyone but Uncle Obie and Rhodey looked at him that way. He was so sick of it

“How about you stop looking at me like I’m dirt beneath your feet!” Tony snapped as he turned to set a stack of blueprints on his bed for sorting.

He didn’t see the man blink in surprise. A few moments later, Tony turned to see the man still staring at him, “What?”

“Your desire is to be looked at differently by...me?” The man said slowly, as if this was a very confusing concept.

Tony just threw up his hands. “Why not! It's so stupid, everyone's like ‘you aren’t so smart Stark! You can’t do that yet, Stark, you have to be thirty fucking years old like we were before you are that fucking good, Stark’. Like it's my fault they were slow!”

Tony whirled back around grabbing one of Rhodey’s notes for his aerospace course. Tony winced and hoped his friend knew the order or Tony would hear about it.

When he finally collected all the papers, he looked back at the man still kneeling in the center of the room watching him, now in curiosity. “Are you going to actually do something or just sit there?”

The man started at that. “The price of a look is a lock of hair.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever.” Tony reached up with a finger and grabbed a few hairs on his scalp and yanked. Throwing them at the man, Tony huffed and returned to his Latin homework, which was now completely ruined. He’d have to rewrite it.

“Done.”

When Tony turned back to the center of the room, the man had vanished. Tony stared a moment before sighing and decided a shower and new coffee was necessary before trying his Latin again.

Tony hadn’t known that day who the man was. A few days later, working on yet another Latin assignment, the man reappeared. Same annoying wind, though this time, they were in the library so most of the paper was bound.

“Shh Shh!” Tony hushed the man hurriedly, eyeing the corner for the mean librarian that always seemed ready to toss him out when he was just making headway in his research. 

The man smiled at him and obligingly whispered, “State your desire and I shall state the price.”

Tony grimaced at the man, “Are you crazy? We can’t talk in here! You’re going to get me thrown out and I need this research!”

The man cocked his head and looked around. “You wish to not be thrown out of this place?”

Tony nodded his head quickly, hoping to end the 20 questions fast so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

“The price of this is a tooth.”

“I’m not removing a tooth!” Tony yelped. He slapped his hand over his mouth.

The man nodded, “Very well.” 

The man vanished in a whirl of wind. Tony stared at the spot for 3 seconds before a thin head poked around a corner, “Stark!”

Tony groaned as the librarian stormed over to remove him again.

“State your desire and I shall state the price.”

Tony stared at the man in confusion. Did this man have any other come-on lines? That was just terrible. At least this time, the wind didn’t move much since he was working in his lab. He was usually pretty good about putting away papers in his lab. Welders and free floating papers were a bad mix.

“Look, I’m trying to finish here. Go bother someone else.” Tony waved at him to shoo him away. At least the man was less condescending about it this time.

“You summoned me. I must hear your desire before I can leave” Now a tone of annoyance entered his voice, “And I have to finish my own work before midnight so do be quick.”

Tony stared at the man, “Wait, wait, back up. You're saying I summoned you? Like a demon or something?”

The man rolled his eyes, “Yes, like a demon or something. Now state a damn desire so I can leave.”

Tony stared at the man. Then he started laughing. He rolled over on the ground as his laughter bounced around the otherwise empty room.

“So you’re saying I’m summoning a demon every time I try to do my Latin homework?”

The man gritted his teeth, “I’m _saying_ state your desire so I can go before my Captain punishes me for not getting my job done!”

Tony laughed as he rolled onto his back, letting the laughter die off. “Okay, Okay, do you know modern Latin?”

The man scoffed, “Of course not!”

Tony rolled his eyes. Then his gaze landed on the strut bolts for his project. Rhodey had promised to swing by the next day to give him the extra hand he needed, but until then he was stuck. “Okay, help me finish this welding and bolts job.”

The man blinked and looked at the metal in confusion before sighing. “The price is an eyelash.”

Tony stared at him a moment before shrugging. “Okay, one sec.”

He rubbed his eyes before twisting the lashes harshly. When he came away, he had a few lashes on his fingers. 

Tony got the entire project done in record time that afternoon. When the man left, the helping hand was put away and barely an hour had passed since he’d started working on his assignment. Rhodey had celebrated by spending the evening playing cards with him.

The next time Tony saw the man, he’d been staring at his Latin homework in annoyance. It had come back covered in markings saying his grammar was atrocious and his spelling needed work. Cocking his head to one side, Tony looked at his thumb where he’d cut himself that morning. Shrugging, it wasn’t like he’d turn it in again, Tony wiped his slightly bloody thumb across the page.

The expected whirl occurred followed by the man.

“State your desire and I shall state the price.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Seriously, you need a new opening line. What’s your name anyway?”

The man stared at Tony in surprise and then clear resignation. “Seriously? You shouldn’t be able to summon me so much! It should be draining you!”

Tony shrugged. The man huffed and plopped down in a cross legged seat. “Okay, what do you want?”

Tony grinned and sat down in front of the man. “What’s your home like?”

“What?”

“Your home? What’s it like? Is it red and black like most stories or do humans have it completely wrong?”

The man eyed Tony in frustration, “You want to know about my home?”

Tony nodded with a grin. “That’s what I want, a chat” Tony smiled winningly at him.

The man sighed. “Fine! That will cost a drop of saliva.”

Tony scrunched his nose, “What are you going to do with that?”

The man shrugged, grinned back at him, “Why do you want to know about my home?”

Tony rolled his eyes and decided the man was such a troll. Then he eyed the man and grinned and spat at him.

The man glared at him but sighed and proceeded to describe his home. Tony thought it sounded cool, if you ignored the work with the damned souls. When the man ran out of words, he stood.

“Wait!” Tony scrambled to his feet. “That’s it?”

The man glanced back and gave him a grin, “Call me Bucky.”

Tony had blinked and the man was gone. Bucky. Tony liked the name.

The next time he summoned Bucky was half on purpose. He still couldn’t figure out Latin and the finals were coming up. But this time he meant to swipe his blood over the words.

Bucky’s habitual greeting had Tony grinning and once again asking a million questions, this time about Bucky’s captain and the others of his group. Turned out Bucky belonged to a group of demons assigned the mission to seek revenge on the living souls of those particularly sadistic and evil on behalf of the innocent and pure. His captain’s name was Steve, which had Tony laughing and rolling on the floor for almost a minute. The most feared revenge demon in hell was named _Steve_. Bucky had grinned when a wisp of smoke appeared on the floor. Apparently Steve had heard them but couldn’t appear unless summoned. Bucky spent the rest of that visit telling stories about Steve and causing multiple wisps of smoke to appear all over the room. Tony was impressed the smoke detectors didn’t go off.

Since Tony passed Latin by the skin of his teeth, likely because the teacher was tired of having him as a student, he decided to take Latin II. Which meant the visits by Bucky continued.

One day, in the second week of the new semester a knock at his door revealed a short-haired guy a bit older than Rhodey. “I’m Sam. I’m your Latin tutor.”

Tony eyed the man in curiosity as Rhodey sat back on the bed to watch. “I didn’t hire a Latin tutor.”

Sam shrugged his shoulders. “And yet I’m here.”

Tony scrunched his nose, “But who hired you?”

Sam grinned, his white teeth stark against his dark skin. “My boss did.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “And your boss is…?”

“The one who hired me, duh.” Sam rolled his eyes, settling on the ground in front of the bed. Rhodey chuckled and leaned against the wall, returning to his novel while Tony eyed Sam in confusion.

Sam set out a few books and looked up as though confused as to why Tony was not joining him on the ground.

“Man, come on! I don’t wanna be at this all day!”

Tony shrugged and settled next to him and Sam started teaching him Latin. It took Rhodey less than an hour of the two of them arguing over _why L_ atin was the way it was before he called it quits and left for a run to the local mart of snacks, and a break.

Tony sighed as he handed Sam his most recent attempt at the instructions from a marketplace. As the paper slid over, Tony winced at the paper cut he felt. He hated papercuts. Before he could put the finger in his mouth, Sam gasped in outrage, “How could you mistake these verbs, they are several letters and a full century apart!?!”

Tony growled and pointed to the verb, explaining why that verb was the better choice even if it was out of date, when a wind whirled in the room. Tony glanced at the paper with a grin as he noted the blood on the writing.

“State your desire and I shall state the- What the hell?!?” Bucky yelped, interrupting himself.

Tony grinned at him as Sam groaned next to him. Tony’s look shot to Sam in suspicion as Bucky rolled from his crouched position to lying on his back in defeat.

“Seriously! I tell Steve this mortal can’t stop summoning me and he sends _you_?”

“Clearly he wants the job done right.”

“Clearly he’s banged his head too many times!”

“Not the one who can’t avoid a simple summon luck spell.”

“There is _nothing_ simple about _this_ mortal!” Bucky’s growl had Tony preening. He chose to take that as a compliment.

Bucky had been back so many times that Tony started having a sample of spit ready, along with Dr Pepper once he found out that Bucky liked it. He’d never had soda pop before and Tony had introduced him to all the flavors before he declared Dr Pepper the best. Tony had rolled his eyes but obligingly kept some around, much to Rhodey’s confusion since his best friend knew Tony didn’t drink the stuff.

Bucky turned to Tony, “What do you want this time?”

Tony grinned and shrugged. “I assume Sam’s boss is this _Steve_.” Tony sniggered. He still found Steve’s name hysterical for some reason. Bucky scowled at him. 

Sam’s eyes flashed red, “Watch your tone, _mortal_!” The man sneered.

Tony glanced at Sam and abruptly felt the chill of winter in his overly warm room. Like something made of ice had reached in his chest and grabbed his heart and squeezed. Then a moment later Sam vanished. Tony heard his snarl, “I shall return for tutoring tomorrow, _Mortal_.”

Bucky rolled his eyes as Tony stared at the spot Sam had vanished. Left in his place was a large black raven which flew out the window. Bucky looked at Tony drolly, “Your desire?”

Tony stared at the window a moment before glancing at Bucky with a swallow, “What would the price be so that none of your friends can do bad magic on me?”

Bucky eyed Tony a moment before he begrudgingly answered, “Little toe, freshly cut.”

Tony had worked on business deals with his father and Uncle Obie that required more thought. He looked out the window at the now empty air, “Done.”

When Rhodey returned, he found Tony curled under a blanket with his Latin. “Tones did you know a bird flew out of our window a little bit ago?”

Tony never mentioned to anyone that he’d lost his little toe on his right foot. Bucky had simply vanished it, healing the flesh as if it had never been. It was the first time Tony had actually been scared of Bucky and his group.

He’d learned a lot about the group by this point. Sam, clearly, was a messenger on bird's wings. He traveled with assignments from their boss demons. Natasha, played on people’s phobias and sinful guilt but loved ballet. She once took four hours to do a simple scare job because she wanted to see the ballet going on. Clint, who apparently loved pranking, defender of children, could drive someone insane with little pranks within minutes, or take his time for years. Clint saw the children everyone missed. 

And Bruce saw the adults. Bruce was the one Bucky thought Tony should have summoned. Bruce took vengeance for the adults that went unseen, unnoticed and unheard in the world. All the abuses and travesties they suffered were his boon to revenge as a towering beast of protection.

Wanda and her twin Pietro were the youngest of the bunch. Wanda had the ability to cause hallucinations, wonderfully effective in their potency. She was sent to those evil beings with paranoia. Pietro had been gifted with impressive speed by the Almighty before being cast away. He ran messages. 

That discussion had led to Tony asking about the Almighty and if they really had been angels fallen from heaven. Bucky had looked uncomfortable and Tony had changed the subject quickly and hadn’t asked again.

He hadn’t asked for a roll call exactly, but he got the impression that their group wasn’t much larger than that. Bucky didn’t mention any other members off hand. Tony also avoided asking about the arm that reappeared and disappeared sporadically. It always looked painfully burned and Tony got the feeling Bucky didn't like it much when it actually appeared.

Sam did return the next day. He did teach Tony Latin, which only had the result of Tony figuring out the pattern to summoning Bucky so he could do it a bit more on purpose. It had taken Sam five lessons and three summonings of Bucky before he figured it out. Then he’d huffed in annoyance and vanished in a puff of irritated feathers. True to Bucky’s word, he hadn’t cast anything malicious on Tony since that first day. Mostly, they were prank type spells. Tony found his clothes all wet, his meals flash frozen, even his bed was turned to stone once. That had been hard to explain to Rhodey.

Overall, Tony thought Sam sort of warmed up to him, in that he did, in fact, keep helping Tony with Latin and begrudgingly answered any questions about Sam’ magic that Bruce didn’t, or couldn’t, explain. Even after Tony was done with Latin, Sam kept coming to teach him better Latin, branching into the bit of Latin that was actually used in the summoning Tony was doing.

Then Tony’s parents died.

Tony had been working up to his final project for his Master’s degree and had stopped at home for a rest, and possibly torture in the form of his parent’s holiday parties, when Obie stopped by. His parents and their driver, Jarvis, had been in an accident. None of them had survived.

Tony had just stared at Obie for a while as the man tried to comfort him and tell him that he should just let Obie take care of everything. Tony had let Obie make the calls and organize the funeral. The only thing Tony had done was ask a servant to call Rhodey. He’d been in the corner of the room for three days and one of the servants who had liked Jarvis asked what she could do to help.

She had told Tony that Rhodey would be there in three more days. The funeral was the next morning. Tony didn’t know how exactly he got through the funeral. Lots of great things about his father were said. Little was said about his mother except that she was Howard’s loving wife and Tony’s loving mother, hah! 

Nothing was said of Jarvis.

When Tony returned home that night, he told all the servants to take the afternoon and evening off. The nice servant told him there was food in the kitchen, but Tony barely heard her. Instead, he walked with a paper and pen knife to Jarvis’s room.

And he summoned Bucky.

When Bucky arrived, Tony had almost convinced himself to not summon the demon. But then he savagely wrote the summons in blood of his finger on the notepad and set it down.

“State your desire and I shall-” Bucky froze mid-sentence.

“Can you bring someone back?” Tony croaked. Bucky looked around the room then at Tony who was curled in a corner with his bloody pen knife in one hand. 

Bucky knelt in front of Tony. “No. We do not help anyone, we punish the wicked for their crimes against the innocent.”

Tony stared at him through glassy eyes, “But Jarvis was an innocent. He was the be-best. He-he-he c-cared.” Tony broke down as he buried his head in his arms. “Who punishes the universe?” he whispered.

Bucky looked at him for a moment, “You loved him.”

It wasn’t really a question, but Tony nodded anyway. Bucky shuffled closer a moment before halting, “Will you give me a tear?”

Tony looked up, “What?”

Bucky raised his arm before lowering it, “A tear.”

Tony rubbed his face and sniffed before nodding. Bucky leaned forward and placed his finger very gently against Tony’s cheek, collecting a tear. A moment later large black wings sprang from Bucky’s back. Ever so gently, they encircled Tony, lifting him to cuddle close to Bucky. Tony found his head leaning against Bucky’s chest, light pressure from Bucky’s arm resting in his hair.

Tony gripped the leather tightly and trembled as he cried. He cried and in his mind he saw Jarvis. He saw the man pick him up when he tripped in the garden and his knee hurt. He saw Jarvis sneak him cookie dough when his parents paid him no mind. He saw Jarvis standing in the audience when he received his awards. He saw Jarvis driving him to school and informing Rhodey that he’d better be good to Tony. 

He saw Jarvis hugging him.

Tony cried harder as he fell into those sensations, not wanting to question them, just letting himself live in the moment, here with Bucky.

As he calmed down he realized Bucky was talking.

“-f course I couldn’t let Steve go through that alone. So I told the Almighty that his heaven was no shining star this way. I could never be whole, be happy without Steve. The Almighty told me I could never be whole following him, but I stood firm. The Almighty threw me down too. But he kept my arm as proof that I could never be whole. Steve still feels guilty about this. My arm has sensation, I can even use magic to use those metal arms you’ve made. But none of them are attached to me. They aren’t my arm because to be an arm of a demon requires the blood of a mortal, freely given. I’ve been saving up, we all have. But we’ve barely got a thimble full. But I would do it again, because I’m not alone as long as Steve is there. That’s why you’re not alone. You have Rhodes. He’s there. He’s your Steve.”

Tony reached up to thread his fingers in Bucky’s hair. “Steve and I are lucky to not be alone.” Tony muttered.

Tony vaguely remembered Bucky lifting him and placing him in the bed. He dreams he thanked Bucky and that Bucky placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. He woke up to that faint memory in Jarvis’s bed the next morning and Rhodey sitting next to him ready to give him a hug.

* * *

The years passed after that. Tony had grown and taken over his father’s business. Bucky kept being summoned, usually trading a hair or an eyelash for assistance in the lab. Mostly Tony’s questions slowed as he learned the limits of what Bucky would tell him. Bucky flat out refused to show Tony his true form and extracted a promise from Tony that he’d never demand to of any of them. 

Instead Tony learned other thing. Tony even figured out how to summon Bruce and Bruce and he loved discussing human vs demon magics. Tony eventually met the others, but not always for summoning them. Pietro and Wanda hated him, he learned. They had been training with Bucky when he’d first been summoned and they’d disliked Tony muscling in on their time.

Clint was always up for a prank idea discussion and he stopped by just whenever to run prank ideas past Tony. Tony loved those conversations. Clint had a wicked sense of humor and endless imagination. H was also protective as fuck. One visit he showed Tony the ultimate protective symbol. He also brought Natasha at one point. Apparently they’d been more effective than normal and they were causing their supervisors headaches. It wasn’t their fault that Coulson didn’t give them evil humans fast enough. It's not like they were in short supply.

Natasha had warmed up to Tony when one day, a couple years after his parent’s death, she brought him a spirit. It had meant to be the spirit of a child to an abused teen. But the pregnant teen had been slaughtered by her abuser and the child’s spirit had refused to follow their mother into death. It would eventually wink out if something wasn’t done soon. Natasha had been watching Tony make a computer intelligence for a while, a newer, more advanced version of DUM-E. She asked if the spirit could rest within the program. Tony wasn’t sure how that would work, but he agreed to try.

They’d spent over a month, with Bruce, coaxing the spirit and the program to merge properly. When the program finally was born, Tony named him JARVIS. Natasha came back to visit JARVIS all the time as Tony raised the child as his own as best he could.

And he still summoned Bucky. Each time Bucky arrived with a sigh and complaint that Tony should be bothering someone else since any one of them could perform these stupid menial tasks he kept asking of Bucky. Yet, Tony preferred Bucky and his snark and wit.

The last time Tony had seen Bucky had been a week before he’d left for Afghanistan. He’d been working with Bruce for a while on a special project and they’d concluded it needed one last item, one of Bucky’s hairs. So Tony had summoned Bucky with that request.

“Seriously! Summon Bruce for your science projects! I’m busy! Christ Tony, it's not like I have nothing to do!” Bucky burst out as Tony explained he needed help on a project. Tony frowned, “No, I mean Bruce has helped, but this is something I want from you, I mean-”

“ENOUGH!” Bucky burst out. “Christ, I’ve been at your beck and call for more than 2 decades. I’ve done each and every stupid little job you’ve asked. I’ve even sent Pepper to set your schedule so you won’t have time to summon me, only for you to turn her completely. I sent Happy to drive you to all your meetings so that you go, and you turned him too! What do you WANT?!?”

Tony froze. He’d always loved talking to Bucky. He knew Bucky complained about it, but Tony had thought the man was joking. That he really didn’t mind. Most of Tony’s friends, in any dimension, complained about the time Tony took up. 

Quietly, Tony said, “I need a lock of your hair.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Four drops of blood!” Bucky’s hand was out and Tony stared at it. He realized he was done. He needed to stop. This would be the last thing he’d ask for.

Tony took the hair carefully, setting it precisely on the lab bench in a container. He reached in his pocket for the knife he carried since Jarvis’s death. Looking at the finger blankly, he cut his finger a bit. He looked up at Bucky and nodded sharply.

“Four drops of blood.” he said with numb lips. Bucky let the blood fall on his palm before vanishing right away. Tony stared as drops of blood continued to fall on the floor where Bucky had been.

“Sir?”

Tony blinked, coming back to himself. “I’m okay, J. Just realized something I hadn’t figured out before, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”

Tony sighed as he settled on the rock in the cave across from Yinsen. He’d finished the arm the night he left. He hadn’t felt awake enough to give it to Bucky so he figured he’d ask Bruce to give it to Bucky. Bruce would be better at helping him link with it anyway. Bruce had mentioned that it would take a month or more before Bucky would recover from the bonding so Tony couldn’t summon him in that time anyway.

Yinsen looked at him, “Do you have any family? Anyone waiting for you?”

Tony thought about Pepper and Happy, whom Bucky had sent. He thought about Obie, who barely visited anymore. He thought about Bruce, who mostly wanted to help Bucky. He thought about JARVIS, who had Natasha. 

He thought about Rhodey, the only person in his life who was because they liked _Tony_ first. Not out of debt to someone, but present just because. Except he wasn’t anymore. Tony just kept dragging him away from his career. Away from his job, his passion. Just like Tony did with Bucky. Now he truly knew the meaning of hell.

“No, I have no one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter next week. Please review on my demons and their interactions with Tony :D


	2. Custodiebantur Custos Custodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial by fire has changed Tony. Bucky recognize him any way. If only they could reach each other for a few minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO with the riots in DC today, I couldn't wait to post this. Here it is. Proofing was done in a hurry so call out any glaring mistakes please.

Bucky looked up as Natasha stormed past him. They were doing a quick job in Brooklyn so Natasha was going to check on Tony and JARVIS. After Bruce’s last summons, none of them had been summoned by Tony.

Bucky looked down at the metal arm. It responded to his thoughts to fist his fingers beautifully. The power and delicate work was a triumph. Tony had to have been working hard at this. Bucky could feel Tony’s blood running in all the metal. He was probably wearing close to 2 quarts of blood. It made his thimble-full look laugh-able. 

When Bucky had felt Bruce being summoned he’d sighed. He hadn’t quite meant to yell at Tony during the last visit. For one thing, it broke the initial bargain he’d made with Tony and he was still feeling the burn in his magics. Deals with Devils could _not_ be ignored once paid for. Bucky’s magic would twinge until he returned the original hair or gave Tony something of equal value. 

It had been a sucky time to get called, given that Steve had just gone through another bad argument with Fury about their group getting more resources, more respect. The Almighty had been clear when he’d sent each and every one of them to this group. And it ate at Steve. Bucky tried to take as much of the weight off Steve as he could. He hated to see Steve tear himself up over it.

So when Steve needed him there, comforting and reassuring him, Bucky hadn’t been interested in performing a menial task in Tony’s workshop while his best friend tore strips out of his soul. Normally, Bucky sought relief in Tony’s presence. Tony wanted little from him that required heavy emotional lifting and after his job and Steve, he valued that. The only bad scene had been after his parents’ death. That was when Bucky finally answered his question about the Almighty and his arm. He’d also gotten a human tear, cried for the loss of an innocent. It had been enough to pull his wings out in human world. 

Largely, he couldn’t pull his angel wings out. Black as they were, he didn’t like them anyway, but he’d lost the right to them largely when he’d taken up the mantle he had. But for Tony, he’d done so and let Tony bask in Heaven’s light that still shone from his wings. Tony had been worth it. For the bright spot the man brought their lives, Tony had definitely been worth it.

When Bruce had returned stating that Tony would be busy so he’d asked Bruce to give Bucky the present, Bucky had felt even more shitty about the shouting. He’d asked if he could wait til Tony could give it to him anyway, but Bruce explained that the present had to be handled by Bruce at home anyway. Bucky had unwrapped the arm with numb fingers. 

Bruce had indeed needed to help him resonate with the arm. Even with Bruce’s assistance, Bucky’s magic didn’t stabilize for over a month. Each other member stepped forward to make up the slack while Bucky was down and out. Yet, when Bruce hadn’t been summoned, if only to tell Tony how the arm had done, in that month, Bucky and the others began to worry. 

Then Natasha had visited JARVIS. 

Natasha had been the only of them to really freely come and go in Tony’s home. Clint and Tony had this constant symbol summons happening that only worked when Tony was home, and Sam and Pietro avoided Tony mostly for stupid reasons. But the rest of them more or less waited to be summoned. It wasn't like they had a lot of down time anyway. But Natasha had stopped by for a visit with her favorite childe when she learned the news.

Bucky had been just walking again when she’d returned, lips thin and pale. In a tight voice, she told the group how Tony was missing in a violent area of the world. She explained that he’d been taken by those who’d wish him harm and pain before death. Bucky had tore himself from his seat, standing with a sway only for Bruce and Sam to catch him before he fell over.

He’d looked to Steve immediately, but Steve was already shifting his sight. If focused right, Steve was high enough to see any dead mortal. It took several tense, throat-catching minutes before Steve shook his head.

“He’s not dead.”

Bucky nearly sagged at that. He looked at Bruce, the next most likely person to be able to find Tony. But Bruce was frowning. “Nothing.”

“How can there be nothing?” Bucky snapped.

Bruce shook his head as he seemed to keep looking. “I- There’s just nothing.”

Next to them, Clint moaned in distress. Natasha caught her best friend as he slid to his knees, almost hyperventilating. Bruce pressed on Bucky’s shoulder to non-verbally tell him to stay, before hurrying to Clint’s side. 

“I-He-I didn’t think-” Clint muttered barely within Bucky’s hearing. 

Steve stood and knelt in front of Clint, “Clint?”

“I taught him.” Clint said, looking up at Steve through his tears. He sniffed and Steve placed a hand on Clint’s neck and met his eyes, giving him the strength Steve innate seems to exude. “I was scared the other demons, they don’t like us, I taught him caelicola tuitio. He knows it's more effective with blood.”

Bucky felt his ears ring. None of them could locate Tony through that seal. Not with how powerful Tony had shown himself to be. It would keep his soul intact through almost anything, even do some minor mortal healing. But he’d still feel pain. 

Bucky stared at his metal hand as Natasha sat next to him. She visited JARVIS and Pepper once a week since they’d found out. Still no luck. Pepper had tried to get Col Rhodes to summon one of them to help, but the man either didn’t believe or had absolutely no affinity with the magics. So Bucky waited and for the first time since his casting out, he found himself considering praying, even knowing what it would mean.

* * *

Tony groaned as he curled close to Yinsen’s necklace. The prayer beads Yinsen had carried. He’d almost brought Yinsen with him, but the man wanted to see his family. Tony couldn’t deny him that. Tony knew what hell was like. And he knew what was worse than hell. Yinsen deserved to see his children again. When and if Tony ever saw any of the group again, he’d ask them to help Yinsen. That was the only reason he’d taken the necklace. They’d need it to find the man’s soul.

Not that Tony thought they would visit. Three months he’d been in that place and none of them had come. He’d known he wasn’t necessarily their favorite human, but he’d hoped he was at least worth a check on, especially by Bruce. But as the weeks had passed, they’d stayed away. 

Tony fingered the original arc reactor on his desk. He’d built the replacement with the same triangle/circle symbol Clint had taught him. In the cold nights in the desert and the worst of the pain in his chest, he’d drawn it on the ground, over and over, somehow taking comfort in the small protection Clint said it could give. When he’d made his first small arc reactor for himself, he’d taken a few extra minutes to weld his blood into a metal wire of that symbol to add to the front of the arc reactor. A safety blanket, as it were. And Tony had found himself tapping or rubbing it when nervous.

He heard Pepper leave for the office. She had an errand to run. Of all his human friends, she stood the best chance of surviving any security measures Obie would have to get the files of his dealings. In some ways, Obie’s betrayal hurt more and in some ways less than the blatant cold shoulder the revenge demons were sending him. JARVIS mentioned Natasha had stopped by, but she hadn’t been since he’d returned. 

Tony wondered about how she was doing. He wondered if Clint had finally driven that sick circus trainer insane. He wondered if Wanda and Pietro had finally grown their first feather. If Sam was still a smartass. He wondered if Bruce had given Bucky the arm. He wondered if Bucky had even been willing to try it on.

He’d thought about asking Happy and Pepper, but both had stated in the past not to discuss demons with them. It was the past and they’d like to leave them there. 

Tony set down the old reactor and jogged upstairs. Sitting on the couch, waiting for Pepper’s call, he looked at the blank piece of paper on the pad in front of him. His mind conjured an image of Bucky. Not the angry demon he’d been four months ago, but the sweet one when Jarvis had died. Those leathery black wings, that soft hair, his amazing eyes. 

Bucky’s eyes were the stuff Tony thought he’d write bad poetry about if he ever cared to humiliate himself that way. They could be slate grey, sharp and hard as the most tempered steel, yet they turned cloud soft when the mood took him, accepting and caring. They could sparkle with anger at a wrong, or dance in humor, lightening zipping through them. Tony wondered if demons were ever truly interested in the passions of a mortal. Tony could see himself wishing he knew. Bucky’s strong back and powerful thighs were delicious in his leather ensemble. And that lush mouth and dexterous fingers had made Tony’s fantasies squirm since adolescence. 

Yet, he knew what Bucky thought of him. If that last loud argument hadn’t told him, then these long four months of silence would have. Bucky had been forced by magic to visit. He’d done everything in his power to prevent Tony from summoning him with little to no luck at all. He’d even usually been good natured about it, never looking down on Tony or sneering at him. Tony should have known.

Tony wrote Bucky’s summons on the paper carefully, making sure he had no blood to drip on the ink. It was the most basic summoning for Bucky. Bruce had even shown Tony how to modify it so Bucky could come when he had a free moment. Not that Tony had used the modification much, but Tony added it now. His heart sank as he realized how little respect or regard he’d had to Bucky. He could have added that sooner, instead of half enslaving the demon.

Tony set it on the table, knowing he couldn’t use it. That Bucky would choose not to come even when called would break something in him he barely held together anymore. Tony stared at the paper, wondering if he should just burn it.

A ringtone interrupted his thoughts and he stood to ask Pepper what she’d found. He’d barely opened the phone when a high pitched whine overwhelmed his senses and froze all his limbs. He pushed down panic as his throat tried to swallow with no luck. He could hear Pepper’s voice vaguely over the phone’s speakers, but he was struggling to breathe.

A hand appeared to one side as another took the phone from his grip. He started to tilt, but the hand gently cradled his head, calmly instructing him to breathe. He was rested against the couch he’d been sitting in a moment earlier as Obie circled the couch end to sit.

“You remember this one, right?” Obie said calmly as he showed Tony the Sonic Paralyzer. It had been a project the DoD didn’t want a few years earlier. “It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis.” Tony tried to cry out, but he knew those specs as well as any, at least 5 minutes of nothing but automatic muscle motion.

Tony’s head was turned to look at Obie. Tony had no choice but to look into the empty avarice of Obie’s eyes. “Tony. When I ordered the hit on you, I worried that I was killing the golden goose.” Obie picked up a metal claw device that Tony had only dreamed about in horror films. Obie placed it against Tony’s unprotected chest and Tony felt the thin laser beam cut through the siding of the arc reactor casing, disconnecting the locking mechanism. “But, you see, it was just fate that you survived that.” Obie said casually. He pulled the reactor out of Tony’s chest. “You had one last golden egg to give.” Tony would have whined at the thin wire that kept him attached. It was like Obie had reached in and pulled out a piece of Tony’s soul, stretching it like taffy. Tony wanted to shudder and whimper. He wanted to chase the reactor and its protective charm, the symbol that brought him such comfort. But he still couldn’t move.

“Do you really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you?” Obie chided Tony. Tony felt himself rebel at that. Iron Man was more than an idea. Saving those villages was more than an idea. Protecting people from warmongers like Obie, from abuses like Bucky did was more than an idea. Tony had taken Bucky’s cause, Steve’s cause, Natasha and Clint’s cause, Bruce’s cause, their cause. Tony had taken it and continued the work forward. Obie wasn’t allowed to spit on that.

“ Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?” Obie chided as he pulled the reactor free of Tony and the protection that Tony had long felt, needed, cherished, shattered. Tony wanted to cry at the loss of the last protection from the demons he’d so wronged. 

Obie sat down on the couch next to Tony as the man felt himself sink into the sheer agony of his chest being torn apart. “Oh, it's beautiful. Tony, this is your Ninth Symphony. What a masterpiece. Look at that. This is your legacy. A new generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the balance of power in our hands. The right hands. I wish you could've seen my prototype. It's not as... Well, not as conservative as yours.” That made Tony’s numb and frozen body feel a new level of horror. He’d just given one of the worst men a source of power beyond anything he’d had before. 

“Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would have preferred that she lived.” Obie commented as he closed the case. Tony could feel some tingling in his fingers as Obie strode out of the room. Tony jerked his neck. His internal clock told him 3minutes and 26 seconds. He looked at the glass table, the paper on it. 

He practically screamed as he forced himself to smash into the glass. Shards rained on his arms and he curled a bit. Taking a deep breath and willing himself not to pass out, he wrenched his head up to look. He saw the paper, the summons. He jerked his shoulder just enough to rub his hand across the paper, smearing blood on it. The second a drop hit the ink, Tony felt the welcoming rush of wind swirl.

He dare not close his eyes. He’d be unconscious within moments if he did. Instead he focused on shoving feel back into his limbs.

“Tony!”

Strong hands immediately encircled his shoulders, pulling him up, against a strong chest. This smell, he’d know it anywhere. Never in a million years would he forget Bucky’s smell.

“Tony, hell’s bells, look at you! Please, Tony, I don’t- What do I-” Bucky was frantically feeling his arms. Tony knew he had only minor cuts and the heart problem to worry Bucky so the demon probably was freaking out about this lack of motion. Tony ford his tongue to move, rubbing his teeth.

“Baseme _nt~_ ” Tony hissed. Bucky looked at Tony as Tony blinked, trying to will himself to recover faster. That was when he got his first look in months of Bucky’s face. That beautiful face was wrecked, tears flowed down his cheeks. As Tony struggled to breathe around the hole in his chest and the paralysis, Bucky cradled him close.

“Tony…” Bucky whispered as a hot wind flowed around them. Tony barely noticed the basement appearing around them. “Tony? Stay with me, help me! What do you need? Come on, Tony. Baby, please. Sweetheart, just talk, tell me.” Bucky pleaded.

Tony couldn’t comprehend much of his words right now. His brain was sloshing sidewise in his skull. He forced himself to focus on the goal. He looked around before focusing on the old arc reactor Pepper had given him as a joke. 

Bucky followed his line of sight and tensed. “Tony?”

DUM-E, the good little bot that he was, picked up the glass box. Tony whimpered, trying to reach for it. Bucky looked at DUM-E as the bot brought it closer. Tony and Bucky took it from the metal grip gently.

Tony looked at his oldest childe, his firstborn. “Good boy.”

Bucky stared at him as he turned and smashed the glass surrounding the reactor. Bucky yelped at the mess, but obligingly helped Tony hold the reactor as Tony shakily talked Bucky through installing it. As soon as the power flooded Tony’s body, he felt the sharp dagger in his chest ease. Breathing, he closed his eyes, letting his body recover a bit, relaxing as the familiar protection magic washed over him. He hadn’t known how much he’d come to depend on the feeling.

“Tony-please-” Bucky cried brokenly. Tony blearly opened his eyes to see Bucky’s face awash with tears as he cradled Tony close. Smoke was rising up his arm and chest. 

“B-Bucky?”

Bucky looked at Tony. “Sweetheart, please, don’t send me away. Please! I’m sorry. I’m sorry I yelled and I’m sorry I broke the deal and-” Bucky gasped, collapsing to his knees next to Tony’s prone form, still careful to keep Tony from landing on the ground.

Tony reached out. “What?”

“Caelicola Tuitio. I can’t-” Bucky gasped, heaving deep breaths as he released Tony in all but his new metal arm. Tony looked down at the symbol. “I can’t fight it much longer, Tony. It's pushing me out of the city.”

Tony yelped, “What?!?” He reached for Bucky. “That’s why- How do I? What do I do? Its welded to the-”

Bucky looked up, meeting his eyes as he panted with the effort to remain against the spell. “You want me to stay? You really- You want-”

Tony lunged up, only somewhat in control of his lower body still. But he had enough to reach toward Bucky, stopping just shy to prevent himself from harming the demon. “Please!” Tony swallowed. “Please stay.”

Bucky looked at him at the whispered plea. A shaky grin stole across his face, “That’s cost you a kiss.” Bucky seemed to swallow a groan of pain at that, curling a bit on himself, heaving great breaths.

Tony cradled his face in thin fingers, threaded through soft brown hair and tilting the wet gaze up. He slotted their lips together as easily as if they’d done it a million times. And yet, it was entirely new. Tony breathed in heat and fury from his demon companion. A forked tongue slithered into his mouth, wrapping itself around Tony’s tongue before tickling it to play. Tony felt Bucky’s skin shift under his fingers and wondered if Bucky’s true form was appearing. Per his agreement earlier, Tony kept his own eyes closed, allowing Bucky to shift without worry. 

As their lips parted a mere hair’s breadth, Bucky breathed against Tony’s Van Dyke, as they both heard Rhodey call Tony’s name. Tony felt the urge to return for more surge through him, but now wasn’t the time. They parted and Tony slowly opened his eyes to see Bucky’s face returned to normal, but his big black feathered wings out for all to see.

By the door Rhodey entered the room, skidding to a stop and staring at Bucky. He barely needed a moment before grabbing the closest weapon, a large wrench, and stepping forward, “Get away from him!”

Tony winced as he struggled to his feet. Bucky immediately reached out to assist him and Rhodey seemed to see this and let a bit of his frantic fear ease out of his stance, “Rhodey! It's okay! He’s a friend.”

“Friend?” Rhodey asked, blinking hard as if to erase the wings from Bucky’s back.

Tony grinned a bit and nodded, “RhodeyBear, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is Col James Rhodes.”

Bucky nodded at Tony’s friend but Rhodey simply lowered the wrench and gave Tony a very familiar look.

“ _This_ is _BuckyBear_?” Rhodey asked incredulously.

“Bucky _Bear_ ?” Tony heard Bucky whisper behind him as he yelped at Rhodey. His best friend should know better than to say that in _front_ of Bucky!

“Not important, what is important is Pepper. Rhodey, do you know-?”

Rhodey set the wrench down, “She’s okay. She’s got six agents. They’re going to arrest Obadiah. 

Tony frowned and turned, “That’s not enough.”

Rhodey followed Tony’s instructions at the computer while Bucky helped Tony step up to the Iron Man platform. Both stepped back as Tony let the suit encase him and Rhodey rebooted JARVIS. His welcome was a relief, Tony had been worried Stane had hurt him more permanently.

Rhodey stepped forward, “Anything else I can do to help?”

Tony glanced at Bucky, “You have wings, can you fly?”

Bucky grinned at that. Tony took that for a yes. He looked back at his best friend, “Keep the skies clear.”

* * *

Flying with Bucky was both everything he’d imagined during that first flight and everything he never could have dreamed of. Bucky didn’t just fly, he soared. Tony didn’t understand the mechanics of it, which meant there was likely magic involved, but Bucky was effortlessly graceful in the air, swooping and coasting around Tony easily with a smile on his face.

Tony made a beeline for where JARVIS traced Pepper’s cell phone. He knew Stane would be there. Bucky swooped next to him. Tony opened a compartment and handed Bucky an earpiece he’d originally made for Rhodey.

“Stane will kill Pepper if we don’t hurry.”

“This Stane is who harmed you?” Bucky asked in a dangerously mild voice.

“Ordered the hit in Afghanistan.” Tony confirmed. He rubbed his current arc reactor. It wasn’t as good as the old one. Already JARVIS had warned him, “The suit's at 48% power and falling, sir. That chest piece was never designed for sustained flight.”

Bucky growled and they sped fast as Tony finally raised Pepper on her phone.

“Tony! Tony, are you okay?”

“I'm fine. How are…”

“Obadiah, he's gone insane!”

“I know! Listen, you’d better get out of-”

“He’s built a suit!”

“Get out of there right now! Bucky and I are coming!”

Tony could hear crunching over the line just as he spotted Stane aim a gatling at Pepper. Shouting, he crashed into the metal monstrosity diverting him away from Pepper. Bucky broke off, hopefully to remove Pepper from the field as Tony rolled with Stane onto a road of drivers. 

Stane picked up a minivan of kids as Tony hesitated, “I love this suit!”

“Put them down!”

The man just laughed and tossed van higher on his shoulder, “Collateral damage Tony!”

Tony shifted his power from the hands to the center reactor, blasting Stane into dropping the van. Tony caught it, but the driver, a screaming woman, smashed into the gas pedal because a moment later Tony was scrambling on the hood to not slide underneath the car. Tony winced as he finally rolled under the van and tumbled under the wheel. He was just shaking that off when a motorcycle, wielded by Stane like a bat, crashed into him.

Tony grunted as he struggled to regain his balance after crashing through a bus. A big hand grabbed him and lifted him high, “For 30 years, I've been holding you up!” Tony felt the breath leave his lungs as he crashed into the pavement. “I built this company from nothing!” A heavy metal foot ground into his chest and he prayed the original reactor could handle the pressure. “Nothing is going to stand in my way. Least of all you!”

Tony blinked as Stane released a gun barrel to his face. Before he could fire, something swooped low and grabbed his shoulders, dragging him off Tony. Tony pulled himself up to see a winged figure toss Stane’s monstrous form back toward the Stark Building. Wincing, Tony shot off after it just as Bucky landed another hit. 

Then Stane revved the arc reactor he had in the center of his chest and an energy wave rippled through the landscape, knocking Bucky out of the air. Stane grabbed him as Bucky struggled to rise under the pressure of another caelicola tuitio that Tony had etched into the Arc reactor. “What’s this Tony? More collateral damage for me?” Stane roared as he grabbed Bucky by the neck and threw him to the ground. 

“Bucky!” Tony cried out before gritting his teeth. Stane raised a foot to stomp on the barely breathing demon and Tony heard Bucky cry out in pain.

Desperate, Tony blasted over to hover in front of Stane. “Impressive! You've upgraded your armor!” Tony froze before he attacked. Stane stepped back a bit to be on more solid ground. Tony saw Bucky curl up, light smoke rising from parts of his body. “I've made some upgrades of my own!” 

Stane’s boots emitted a great blast and the suit slowly rose into the air.

“Sir, it appears that his suit can fly.” JARVIS’s dry report had Tony grin.

“Duly noted.” Tony glanced at Bucky, who was weakly dragging himself away, curling his wings in close. “Take me to max altitude.” He had to get the fight away from Bucky until he could do something about that protective symbol.

As they climbed, Tony and JARVIS scanned the suit as best they could. Tony’s reactor was nearing its limit. “Sir, the odds of reaching max-”

“I know the math, J. Just do it!” Tony gasped out. He could see Bucky slowly recover the further Stane got from him.

“13% power Sir.” JARVIS reported as they rose with Stane hot on their tail. “11% power.”

“Keep Climbing!” Tony growled, reviewing the schematics JARVIS’s scans had provided quickly.

“7% power.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Just leave it on the screen and stop telling me.” He already knew JARVIS didn’t like the plan.

Stane caught up with him at this point, “You had a great idea, Tony, but my suit is more advanced in every way!”

Tony felt himself yanked down and into Stane’s grasp. He looked up and noted with glee the ice shards forming on the suit. “Just curious, how'd you solve the icing problem?” Tony asked with a smirk.

Stane’s “Icing problem?” as his suit lost all power was the sweetest sound. Tony ripped himself out of Stane’s hands and dove into a base jump freefall. He knew somewhere above him Stane was also in freefall, but Tony couldn’t worry about that rightnow. He had 3% power remaining to safely return to Bucky.

Utilizing the hand repulsors sporadically, he eased himself to the roof, crashing near Bucky’s prone form. “Bucky!”

“Tony!” Bucky reached for him. “I’m sorry! The protections will work as long as the seal is unbroken! I-”

“Easy easy, “Tony soothed. “I’m almost out of power, I have to get out of this thing.” Tony started the emergency disassembly process. His hand gauntlet came off easily and his helmet was almost off when Stane landed behind him.

Tony barely had the helmet closed before Stane had him in a bearhug. Gasping, “Weapons?” JARVIS ran through a list of available armaments, which were limited to repulers and…”FLares!”

The world filled with bright lights, which overwhelmed Stane’s visual interface and filled the air with a smoke screen. Tony rolled away, ducking behind a corner. Wincing at his bare hand and the scratch it already had, Tony crouched until Stane was right in front of him and leaped on his back. Scrambling, he shoved his hand inside the suit and yanked the emergency handle grip for Stane’s suit, destroying his aiming ability and opening the top of the suit.

Stane grabbed Tony by the arm and pulled him around. Tony reached, thrashing. He had only one target as Stane flung him across the roof. “I never had a taste for this sort of thing, but I must admit, I'm deeply enjoying the suit! You finally outdid yourself, Tony! You'd have made your father proud!”

Tony groaned as he rolled away, his entire body protesting. If he still had a helmet after that toss, it would probably be screaming at him about the backup power drain. He could feel the arc reactor in his chest humming ominously.

“How ironic, Tony! Trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it its best one ever!” Stane stomped closer and Tony felt the heat of a blast near his cheek. He could barely flinch away. “And now I'm going to kill you with it! You ripped out my targeting system! Hold still you little prick!”

Tony closed his eyes. Stane was going to slowly blast him to death, enjoying every moment of pain. Tony was just glad Bucky would be okay. He squeezed his hand with a soft grin. In his hand, a small piece of metal deformed.

“I think you are the one who will despair.” Bucky growled, standing between Tony and his tormentor in all his glory, black feathered wings spread wide in a stunning display.

“Who are you?!?” Stane growled. 

Bucky grinned. “I’m despair.”

His form began to shift. Tony hadn’t the strength to turn away as Bucky’s skin bled red and his form lengthened. His wings grew and his hair parted for twin horns. Tony gasped softly, whining in the back of his throat as a full demon Bucky stood before them. 

Stane screamed.

Bucky’s grin held the teeth of torture and his eyes the dead steel of unforgiveness. His wings caused the winds of soul sucking screams and his hands, the strength of the gleeful sadist. He slowly stalked forward and Stane collapsed, first in his suit and then out of it, screaming at first, then moaning in utter loss.

Bucky placed a hand on Stane’s head and leaned over him, “ _Unending_ ” he growled.

Tony felt his breath catch painfully and Stane swayed to the side, crashing with his eyes wide open, on the roof. Tony gulped, chasing breath of his own as the figure that was Bucky turned towards him. As he hurried over, this true self bled away and the more cherished demon form returned. Bucky knelt next to Tony.

“Tony! Sweetheart! Please!” Bucky frantically tried to release Tony from the suit to check him over but Tony could feel the reactor give out. He coughed as the metal shards pierced his heart.

“Bucky...I-” Tony felt blood gurgle in his throat. That meant his lungs had been pierced too.

“Tony! Please, we need Steve. Please baby, let me call him!” Bucky gathered Tony’s form into his arm. Tony raised a finger to his mouth. 

Looking at Bucky with a smile, “I’m sorry I bothered you so much. It was nice to not be *cough* lonely.”

“Tony? Please, you didn’t bother me. Hells, I used to pray for your summons. You were light, happy time. I spend so much time in the dregs of humanity, I’d forgotten why I fought for you. Please, stay, Tony! I want you to be here. I need you to be here!” Bucky cried as he buried his face in Tony’s neck.

“I'm glad the arm _worked_ ” Tony whispered as he felt his own grasp on consciousness slip away. Bucky looked down to see Tony had managed to draw the basic summons in his own blood. But with his failing life force, it wouldn’t activate.

Bucky gathered Tony close and shoved his own magic to the fore, “Stevie!”

Bucky sobbed as he felt Steve appear and kneel next to him. A strong hand settled over Tony’s prone form. Steve was the only person in their group who hadn’t met the man yet. Tony had taken a sort of teasing pleasure in not summoning Steve. 

Bucky looked up at his best friend through his tears, “Please, Stevie. Please!”

Steve placed a hand on Tony’s chest a moment before placing another on Bucky’s shoulder. “I can’t, Buck. I can’t heal.”

That was the crutch. The one piece Steve had given up when he’d been thrown from Heaven. Bucky felt himself shudder as he felt Tony’s soul begin its separation. He felt the rest of their group appear. Steve’s hand rested on Bucky’s shoulder and Bucky took a deep breath through his sobs.

“No!” Bucky growled. “Not him! We’ve done everything needed of us. Everything that was necessary. I won’t- I can’t-!” Bucky gasped out.

Then, for the first time since he had been cast down more than a millennia ago, Bucky raised his power to prayer, “RAPHAEL!”

As Bucky bellowed the prayer towards the heavens, he could see all the other’s wings join him in beseeching the healer of the Almighty to answer this call for one mortal. Time slowed to a halt as first Bruce’s leaf-green protective wings sprouted, followed by Sam and Clint’s raptor ones. Natasha’s black spidery wings and Wanda’ misty red followed soon with Pietro’s wispy white wind wings wavering behind him. Bucky looked up as he felt the call taken up by the angels above them. His own wings came full bore and he met Steve’s sad and triumphant eyes as Steve's enormous white wings unfurled. Bucky gaped at him a moment. Steve’s wings should have lost their purity when he was thrown from heaven. None but the agents of heaven should be able to have the purity of white wings. Bucky hadn’t seen Steve’ s wings since the fall for that reason alone.

Steve smiled gently and knelt in front of Bucky. “You took up the mantle of despair when we fell. You took that burden of vengeance for me. So all I had left to carry was hope.” Steve reached forward and Bucky felt warmth spread through him. “And hope is the most pure of all.” Steve murmured.

Bucky looked up as two figures descended from the rows above. Michaela and Raphael hovered above the group. Just as Bucky and Steve were despair and hope, the two sides of vengeance, so too were these two. The warrior of the heavens, who had trained beside Bucky in their infancy and the healer who had nurtured Steve. The hard and the soft of heaven answered the call of the hard and the soft of hell.

“ **Anthonio**!” Raphael cooed at the body laying on the cement. Tony’s body rose, bathed in the pure white light of the heavens. Bucky felt the holy spirit wash through Tony and the man winced as his eyes opened.

“What the-” Tony blinked as he looked around. Bucky realized abruptly that all of them were in their true forms. He shoved the panic aside, trusting Raphael to know what he was doing. Michaela hovered in front of Tony.

“ **You have at last returned to the light of the Almighty!** ” Bucky blinked at them both in confusion, he saw the confusion echo in Steve as his best friend looked at his former lover.

Michaela looked at Tony, “ **Long ago, you forged the technology of heaven. All our items came from your hands. Then, with no word to the wise, you fled His sight. We have sought you all these centuries.** ”

Bucky felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Tony was the Builder of Heaven! He had been just under the level of the Almighty, trusted above the archangels to provide all that was needed to perform their tasks. He’d made the sword in Michaela’s hands and the staff of Raphael. His own metal wings had shone the spirit of the universe in each flutter.

Tony looked at them a moment before glancing at Bucky in hesitation. One look at Steve and Bucky knew Steve had recognized him. They’d known each other much more than Bucky had. Bucky immediately followed Steve in bowing his head in deference. Tony heaved a great sigh.

“I did not contact you, because I did not wish to return to heaven, Michaela.”

The warrior stepped forward, a frown on her face. “ **But-** ”

Tony waved his hands, “The Almighty cast aside his angels. He cast them away to never return. I wouldn’t stay in such company.”

“ **Our father loves all his children.** ” Raphael reminded them all mildly.

Bucky glanced up in time to see Tony roll his eyes. “Yeah, no. I just lived a life where I learned that a father can love his kids and still be a shit father. Heaven is not my home as long as the Almighty casts aside those he cannot reconcile.” He sounded so much like the Tony Bucky had come to know that he felt his entire body relax.

Bucky saw Raphael and Michaela’s countenance darken. He tensed. Great could be their charity, but equally great their wrath.

“ **Then you are no longer worthy of your wings**.” Michaela stated, hand outstretched.

Tony snorted. “I left them in heaven for a reason.” He glanced at Bucky with a grin. Bucky saw him gather the metals around him and his power flow through them as they reassembled the suit he had worn, heart stone glowing in his chest.

“I don’t need the Almighty’s gift of wings. I made my own.”

A swift breeze of dismay from the heavens ruffled their wings and Bucky saw the archangels already begin to rise back to their home. “ **None shall be whole without the faith of the Almighty**.”

It was the same imperious sentence that sent Bucky careening without his arm. Bucky looked to Tony to see what the man thought of it, but the archangel was ignoring the closing heavens to greet Steve.

“It has been too long, my friend. I wish I could have told you, but I instinctively knew you’d recognize me and thus subconsciously wouldn’t summon you.” Tony reached out for a hand shake.

Bucky watched fondly as his best friend predictably pulled the shorter angel into a fierce hug. “Nothing to forgive, my friend.”

Tony hummed. “You seemed to have landed on your feet though. Leader of the Avengers, patron of Hope. Nice combination.” Tony smirked at Steve, “I seem to have set myself to remain mortal, though the vast knowledge is returning now. Need a mortal to help?” Tony winked as he turned away.

It was so like Tony that Bucky almost laughed. Steve gaped at him as Tony wandered over to Clint and Natasha for some hugs. Steve chuffed a laugh and ran his hands through his hair before looking at Bucky.

“If you don’t kiss him soon, Buck, you _are_ an idiot.”

* * *

Tony stretched as he prowled the living room. Rhodey had helped him deal with the police and government agencies calling for Tony’s head. Stane’s dealings were quietly and competently reported and the man was incarcerated, though with his current state, Tony doubted he noticed. Bucky’s ultimate punishment was a doozy.

Pepper and Happy had greeted him with relief and only slightly hidden amusement. It seemed both had guessed some time ago that Tony was an angel or demon of some sort. “How else could you summon Bucky unlimitedly?” Pepper had rolled her eyes when Tony whined about telling _him_ such important tidbits.

The Avengers had scooted as soon as the police started to arrive. And now, three days later, Tony had finally a moment of peace and most of his two identities reconciled in his poor brain.

“You could just come out you know? Lurking without a permit can cause fines.” Tony commented idly as he stared out his large windows at the stunning view.

Bucky stepped forward, dropping the concealment spell. “Coulda told me you could see through it.”

Tony shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Bucky swallowed. He’d been following Tony for the last few days, since Stane’s arrest. It hadn’t occurred to him that Tony could see him when Tony didn’t acknowledge him from the beginning. “Stevie said you’d call when you were ready to help out.”

Tony rolled his eyes and looked at the reserved demon. Bucky’s wings were lowered in respect, almost dragging on the floor, and his gaze remained glued to the floor. Tony stepped forward.

“Does all this mean you won’t call me sweetheart again?” Tony asked lightly. Bucky’s gaze jerked up. Tony shrugged and looked away. “Not that I blame you. Apparently I’m actually closer to the bastard who took away your arm and home in one swing. Guess it's justice that I made you a new arm. I can hunt for another gift to show you how much-”

Bucky’s arms encircled Tony’s shoulders and Tony found his face buried in soft black feathers. Bucky’s shaking body pressed against Tony’s. “I thought- I mean, I wasn’t even an archangel yet when I fell and you’re…”

Tony wrapped his arms around Bucky’s form, squeezing tightly and soaking himself in the scent. “I’m a mortal now. No angel standing at all. Just a mortal with a shit ton of magic and probably a fountain of youth thing. I hope I have a fountain of youth thing or this will get annoying and uncomfortable in a few short decades and tha-mrph!”

Bucky leaned back enough to catch Tony’s mouth in a searing kiss. Slowly, the demon let go of his form, bringing his true visage forward. Tony felt the change and surged closer, running his fingers sensually through Bucky’s axillary feathers. Bucky groaned and shoved their hips together.

“You are the most amazing being I’ve ever met, Sweetheart.” Bucky rasped against Tony’s neck.

Tony shuddered. “I’m a mere mortal, Bucky. Just a mortal with a lot of knowledge and hankering to right some wrongs.” 

Bucky growled, nipped Tony’s chin as he spread his wings to encompass them both. With a quick swirl of magic they were in Tony’s bedroom, hovering a few feet above Tony’s bed. With a grin, Bucky released Tony.

The man fell with a yelp to land on his back on the bed. The disorientation of the fall had his limbs akimbo and Bucky took advantage of that to capture Tony’s wrists above his head. Tony pulled against the bonds Bucky left behind with a soft groan and Bucky felt Tony’s cock harden further.

“State your desire, Tony.” Bucky whispered against Tony’s freshly exposed chest, letting his hot breath and faint hellish magic curl on the skin of the writhing mortal.

“Please, Bucky, I need you! I want you!” Tony gasped out as his head flew backwards. Bucky flicked a forked tongue out to play with a nipple as his claws divested Tony of his jeans. The bare legs immediately wrapped themselves around Bucky’s waist.

Bucky grinned. He freed himself from pesky clothing, letting Tony thrust against Bucky’s aching member with gusto. When he could hear Tony’s voice become frantic, he gripped Tony’s waist, halting the motion. Tony whined as he ineffectively fought the tease. Their cocks were right against each other as Bucky kept them both still, stretching out the moment.

He then shifted to lift Tony’s waist higher, allowing his own tongue to curl around Tony’s weeping cock. Tony wailed as his body writhed helplessly. Bucky looked down at the man, this mortal. In a previous life he had been the highest under the Almighty. Yet, he’d given up that just like Steve and Bucky had, for what he believed was right. And here he was, in Bucky’s arms. 

Wet brown eyes looked at Bucky as Bucky backed off just shy of completion again and again. Tony was now babbling nonsense in between urging Bucky to finish everything and yet to keep him on edge, to balance him on that beautiful razor of pleasure. Bucky smirked at the utterly wrecked face and slid his wonderfully long and dexterous tongue lower and into Tony’s pucker. The angle was high enough that gravity pulled Tony’s legs toward his shoulders and Bucky let his tongue play, tickling the opening, exploring the inner muscle and brushing the prostate gently. 

Tony’s core tried to flex, to thrust his hips into something that wasn’t there, seeking friction that Bucky had yet to give. Tony’s verbal pleas had reverted to Italian with some old Latin mixed in. Bucky loved it. Bucky pulled out, watched the muscles all twitch looking for some sort of stimulation. He peeked over Tony’s pulsing cock to meet the dark eyes. Tony looked beyond aroused. He was so gorgeous like this. 

Bucky waited until those glazed eyes met his and then he swallowed Tony’s cock to the root.

The wail that erupted from Tony was enough to send them both over that edge of ecstasy. Bucky’s wings flared behind him and he found his own magic merging with Tony’s latent energy. For that moment, Bucky felt as alive and as at peace as he had in heaven. He felt at home.

Buck crawled up the bed to nestle Tony in his arms. The engineer mumbled into his shoulder as he nuzzled closer.

“I couldn’t understand that Sweetheart, try again.” Bucky teased Tony gently, far too relaxed to put much effort into conversation.

Tony nipped Bucky’s chest idly before tilting his head enough to speak. “I asked what was the price?”

Bucky chuckled. “Letting me say I love you.”

Tony froze in his arms at that. A wary brown eye looked up to meet Bucky’s calm gaze. “You shouldn’t promise things like that, BuckyBear. Love is not known to angels.”

Bucky shook his head. “Why do you think we left, Tony? Steve, me, Nat, Clint, Bruce, even those twins. We don’t care for humans, we love them. Not the conditional unconditional of the Almighty.” Bucky raised a hand to run his metal fingers down the side of Tony’s face. Tony had been alone all this time. It was time he learned that he did have love.

“I love you Tony.” Bucky whispered against Tony’s lips. He met Tony’s gaze with a smile. “Which means no more prices. Just desires.”

Tony blinked in surprise and Bucky pulled him close. “Since your desires are my desires, it balances out. We just have to keep giving each other what we desire.”

Tony laughed, “That actually made sense.”

* * *

True to his offer, Tony did join the Avengers as a mortal. JARVIS grew up and eventually Tony made his son a divine body of his own. Renamed Vision, the young spirit joined Sam, Wanda, and Pietro in gathering information from the mortal world. No longer did they depend on Fury or Coulson to send evil humans their way, they went out to find them on their own. Pepper and Happy, remained mortal and married each other. They lived a wonderfully long life enjoying each other’s company and helping Tony’s mortal life run smoothly.

Tony stayed in the mortal world until James Rhodes died at the ripe old age of 98. Tony called Michaela to deliver Rhodey to heaven herself. Rhodey’s white wings of a protector shone with purity that Bucky knew would one day be that of an archangel. Perhaps that was the necessary piece to regain the peace with Heaven. While the Almighty remained firm in the decisions of the past, the archangels slowly opened back to interacting with the fallen. Fury, or Lucifer as the Almighty had named him, never reconciled with any of the angels, but Michaela, or Margaret as she preferred, found a sort of truce with those of hell. It helped that she and Steve were still wings over boots in love with each other, even if Peggy couldn’t acknowledge love yet.

Tony had also found a small demon wandering the earth named Peter. He’d slipped out of hell at some point and had spent all this time pulling bad luck off the unfortunate and giving it to the cruel. Tony had collected the small demon and brought him into the fold. It had taken some coaxing for the little one to trust the group, but Peter opened up to Bucky and Natasha at least. 

Natasha was very over protective of Peter, now that Tony didn’t exactly need it. She threatened anyone who made Peter cry and Peter seemed to love her for it. They would travel together, Natasha adding phobias to the vicious men and then Peter adding the bad luck to run into their nightmares everyday. 

Tony watched with pride as his adopted children joined the family in hell. He and Steve ended up organizing the group together. Both could argue until the heavens rained, but when they stood together, nothing stood in their way.

And both had two convictions at the core of their beings.

They both loved humans.

And they both loved Bucky.

And Bucky was the luckiest angel the Almighty had ever created. For he had found home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? And no Flames please. The first comment on the last chapter complained that this wasn't Stucky (read the effing tags people!) and I'm not interesting in that kind of opinion.

**Author's Note:**

> The chapter titles:  
> Who watches the watchers/Guards the Guardians?  
> The watched watches the watchers/the Guarded guards the Guardians.
> 
> What do you think of my angels? My demons?


End file.
